Naval Sea Systems Command has selected General Dynamics to design and build an unmanned maritime minelaying system, awarding the company a contract worth up to $58 million, according to a Monday notice.
Under the award, General Dynamics Mission Systems will build a tactical prototype system of the Mining Expendable Delivery Unmanned Submarine Asset (MEDUSA), an expendable uncrewed undersea vehicle that will launch from submarine torpedo tubes to lay mines.
The Navy received three bids for the contracts and awarded General Dynamics an initial $15.9 million contract on Sept. 27. Work under this award is expected to conclude in September 2026 but could stretch until 2032 and climb to $58 million if additional options are exercised, the announcement states.
A draft request for proposals was published in September 2023, describing MEDUSA as a “tactical clandestine mining system.” According to budget documents, the system “features torpedo tube launch capability, long range, high payload placement accuracy and can handle heavy payloads.”
The Navy requested approximately $9.3 million for the program in fiscal year 2025 following a $32.5 million request the previous year. Budget documents attribute this decrease to the completion of technical risk-reduction efforts in FY-24 and the transition to contractor design efforts in FY-25.
Industry-led risk-reduction efforts are expected to continue in FY-25, budget documents indicate, along with “submarine integration, system safety engineering activities, mine payload development, and mission planning and submarine control system integration efforts.” A preliminary design review is expected in the final quarter of FY-25.